The wizened ones at THX have added yet another reason to actually spend some time calibrating your TV -- energy savings. Videophiles have long known that moving out of "torch mode" is good for the electric bill, but we're hoping that putting the THX logo behind the message will help move better picture quality to the mainstream. You know, because not everyone knows that TVs aren't supposed to pull double duty as tanning lamps and space heaters. For those people, maybe the 15 - 50-percent energy savings will get them to check out the THX calibration screens. Yearly electricity savings of about $50 aren't enough to offset a professional calibration, but if you're going to spend $1,000 on a TV, it's just silly to not spend 15-minutes to get things dialed in better than the out of the box settings.

Philips may be dodging the North American sector with its flashiest of products, but it's still showing the Yanks in attendance a little love on the home entertainment front. Today in a meeting in NYC, the outfit revealed US pricing and availability for its entire 2009 family, most of which was quietly introduced in January. Starting things off are the 6000 and 7000 Series of HDTVs, which just so happen to pick right up where the previous models left off in 2008. The 6000 Series will arrive in 32-, 42- and 47-inch flavors for $799, $1,399 and $1,699, respectively, while the 7000 Series goes 42-, 47- and 52-inch for $1,499, $1,799 and $2,299, also respectively.

While checking these very sets out, we noticed that the factory settings left the colors a bit blown out and overly sharp -- though, this practice is far too common in HDTV companies anyway. Nothing like wowing those Best Buy shoppers at first, only to sear their retinas at home, right? All kidding aside, the panels looked superb, and the A-B comparison mode made tweaking the settings a breeze. Hop on past the break for the rest of the details, and give our gallery a glance for a closer look at the whole lot.

When Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) executive director Richard Glikes wanted a home theater system, he didn't just max it out with the best high definition equipment. He also thought to run it entirely from solar energy from four roof-mounted panels that produce an aggregate of 700 watts per hour in sunlight. It'll reportedly run things for 19 hours straight without having to dip into your traditional power grid. Hardware-wise, we're talking about a 100-inch screen, Sharp projector, six SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers, Integra AV receiver, Lutron lighting, and a universal remote. See how it was made, with the help of time-lapse photography and 1980s infomercial-genre background music, in the video after the break.

LG is ready to ship its line of LCDs with integrated FreeSat tuners starting this month. The 1080p LF7700 series comes in sizes from 32- to 47-inches and includes 100Hz Trumotion in the 42- and 47-inch versions, with a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and invisible speaker design. Don't think a TV would hit the market today without the green tag, these claim to use 69% less power, thanks to the integrated light sensor. The cheap ones start at £700, even with BBC HD and ITV HD beckoning lackluster UK buyers may choose to wait for the 200Hz LH5000 models due later this year.

This year's edition of the Hitachi Wooo line of flat panels look a lot like their predecessors on the outside (120Hz IPS LCDs, 250GB HDD equipped models with iVDR slots for additional hard drives and Wooonet DLNA network support) but it's what's inside that counts. The four new XP plasma models range from 42- to 50-inches and promise even better contrast ratios, as high as 40,000:1, with better color reproduction and the promise of greater energy efficiency. The ultra-thin 35mm / 1.4-inch thick LCDs are back in four new models, with UWB wirelessly connected tuners, auto sensing/adjusting brightness and aforementioned "eco" power sipping improvements. The relatively fat XP line of LCDs consists of just three displays, but just like all the rest, buyers can still hook up to the 'net and pull down video on-demand or Yahoo! Japan's web TV portal -- features unlikely to make the jump when we see U.S. versions of these later this year. The XP plasmas and LCDs go on sale in Japan later this month or next, while the ultra-thins will be crash dieting until October.

Read - Hitachi, recording double-35mm-thin LCD TV "Wooo UT800"
Read - Hitachi, 7 new plasma / LCD

To the question if there's really demand for eco TVs, the answer is apparently no, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd think. In a Retrevo survey, 75% of people answered that energy efficient products were important to them, but less than half had actually bought one, with the number dropping to 35% for those still interested if it required paying a premium. Most people don't trust so called green products, and probably with good reason, just because a TV says it is eco friendly, doesn't mean that when you saw it on display, or the default when the box is opened, is the most power sipping mode. Retrevo's advice to manufacturers? Be more consistent in what they label energy efficient, while all we can recommend to other buyers is the same as usual, educate yourself on every product and double check those settings. Friends don't let friends leave "torch" mode on.

The Wall Street Journal took the time to run down some of the latest trend in televisions, labeling sets "eco" or green for their energy efficiency. Every manufacturer at CES seemed to have a line of energy efficient HDTVs, and meeting or beating Energy Star requirements has suddenly moved to the front of marketing materials. Of course, sipping a little less juice incurs a price premium up front, adding $50 or so on Vizio's Eco line over comparable displays. Compared to last year when only 20% of flat panels had green features, manufacturers seem to be betting big on a shift to more efficient entertainment, but we're not sure how high that will be on customer's lists compared to price, features and picture quality.

Panasonic's NeoPDP plasma was lookin' mighty good on display today, and now we've got the nitty-gritty straight from the horse's mouth. The company's NeoPDP and NeoLCD technology showcases its latest advances in ultrathin, highly energy efficient displays. If you're looking for wow, the 37-inch NeoLCD has the lowest energy consumption of any LCD HDTV in the world, and the 0.33-inches thick 50-inch NeoPDP is really just 0.33-inches thick. 0.33-inches. Sadly, there's nary a mention of a productization date, so we suggest you just pretend that never heard of all of this awesomeness until that status changes.

Environmentalists take heart, as LG Electronics is out doing some good in the world, and their forthcoming 52-inch HD plasma provides that widescreen beauty you adore with a sense of tree-luvin' satisfaction to boot. While we've seen gizmos encased in wood before (including Hannspree's own HDTV), this particular piece goes one step further by incorporating wood throughout the entire set. While rummaging through the secret lairs of LG in Seoul, CNET UK caught a glimpse of the mysterious set, and while they weren't allowed to film / photograph it, they rendered a look-alike and assured us that the "bezel was made of compressed wood (derived from renewable forests) and finished in white water-based paint." Of course, no piece of AV equipment would be complete without a hint of silver, so LG added an aluminum trim to go along with the "lead-free / low-lead internal components." While the company would lend any clues to its future release date nor pricing information, we were told that it would eventually be "commercially available," but similar components will probably be found in more peon-friendly models (like the LG LX70) before too long.

[Via CNET]